It has recently come up in a game where a character has both the Quality Linguistics and the Adept Ability of Linguistics.

Do they stack so that the character learns the language at rank 3 or is it a skill of 1 augmented to 3.

Does the reduction in time from the Quality affect the time it takes for the Adept ability to work.

Sure, why not?

first rule of skill augmentation: maximum augmented value = natural value x 1.5

so you learn a new skill at 1, but the augmented max is still 1.
The Linguist quality description does not say this rule is not valid.

What you need to do is, learn loads of languages for free and very fast at lvl 1. Then get some Learning Stimulus Nanintes R3 to improve the lvl to 2 and 3 for no cost and to lvl 4 for 1 karma each. Now the augmented max is 6 and the quality works fully.

Does the linguistic-quality raise the skill or does it „just” increase the dice-pool for the language? I have them both for my char. but I cannot remember.

it "modifies the skill rating". So my post stands.

1*1.5=1.5. With normal rounding, and the book says nothing about rounding down, that is 2.

yes it does. SR4A p68
SKILL RATINGS:

"The maximum natural rating available for a skill is 6, or 7 with
the Aptitude quality (p. 90).[...] The maximum modified
rating allowed is 1.5 times the natural rating (making 9 the maximum
achievable, or 10 with the Aptitude quality)."

7*1.5=10.5=!10

Ahaaaaa....nitpicking...but successfull.^^

To continue picking nits, this only says that the maximum is capped at 10 not that for values below 10 you use the rounding down mechanism.

Do whatever, because language skills have no effect on the game.

Except for the Pornomancer abroad.

Pornomancer doesn't much care if he loses some 5-8 dice from her 50+ dicepool

Which is why we cap the number of effective hits equal to the rating of the language you are speaking... Native languages are Not Capped, of course.
But as Yerameyahu stated, languages do not really mean all that much in game.

I was indeed wrong; my apologies. The people saying it is capped are correct; the Learning Stimulus nanites suggestion is a good one.

I feel sorry for you. Your game suffers.

I have had PCs stay alive because of language skills, avoid combat, get laid, get information from those who were about to throw one out of a bar, use Commanding Voice in Denver, spend a morning learning Ibo and use Commanding Voice/buy gear/get around in Lagos....

The problems my Players had in San Diego due to Spanish-Only Police... *Shakes Head, Laughing*

The game really does not suffer, though... It is very easy to get past the limitations on Language, though it costs some money, of course...
It is exceptionally easy to be a polyglot in Shadowrun. Just costs you 2500 Nuyen a Language after all. Got a character with over a dozen languages on Chip. Rating 4-5. Really, that is all you need.

As for the Linguist Quality/Adept powers. They are a great combination. Quite fun, in fact. Especially with the Learning Stimuluis nanites. In the end, they are cheaper than the Chips.

Whatever, pbangarth. The number of times your character is faced with unknown languages that they couldn't prepare for in advance (by taking them at chargen, or getting a probably free linguasoft instantly off the matrix) is tiny. It's a rare, nifty trick for the hyperlinguist, if the GM goes out of his way to let him do it.

"That's a nice French Linguisoft chip you bought. Too bad it's Parisian French and you're in Quebec. You're stripped naked in front of the whole crowd in the airport and taken into the freezing cold back room for questioning. And they take your chip away, too. Too bad they only speak Quebecois."

So buy the Quebec one, facrissake. Literally everything should be at your fingertips, in some form or quality.

Quebecois is not all that hard of a Linguasoft to purchase Canray...
As Yerameyahu indicated, it is not all that hard to prepare for your expeditions and make sure that you have the appropriate Languages, whether they be chipped or natural.

Just pointing out that you need to KNOW what you're buying. Buy the wrong thing, and you're in trouble.

Technology is a tool and a crutch at times, do your footwork.

No Doubt... But it should be trivially easy to ensure you have the correct Linguasoft.

True enough, but we all know how little research people actually do.

That's like saying that negative qualities have largely no effect on the game. It's supposed to be the GM's job to make sure language skills have an effect in-game, just as it is supposed to be the GM's job not to let negative qualities be free BPs.

True...

True, but I managed just fine with my French IRL in Québec, and after a year of studying near Montréal my French was still understood by the people in France. One person asked though whether I was from Québec.

What I'm trying to say is that unless you are really in the sticks and talking to hillbillies a French Linguasoft would work, even though the locals will recognize you as an outsider.

That's Montréal, a very nice place (As long as you stay off the sidewalks so the drivers don't hit you.). Quebec City, OTOH.

that is true
Runners Companion pg 98, where Linguistics Quality is located, does not mention that the quality ignores the augmentation rule; However, on pg 100 for the quality Natural Athlete it specifically says that Natural Athlete is subject to the normal augmentation rule yet there is no specific ruling for Linguistics.

so one could argue that since the rule is not in the Linguistic description, and was specifically pointed out in another quality's description in the same book, they intended the rule to not be in effect for the other.

I don't completely agree with all of what i just said., but just pointing out that RAW can be a little confusing when they don't actually write the rules out.

If you notice, some of those Qualities in RC do not add AUGMENTED ratings. They capped those relevant bonuses at 6.

Or collaborate basic information. One of my PC's recently purchased a lifestyle that was close to a military airbase, because it provided a little protection from his Enemy. The PC's met at a place not too far from there, within 10 minutes, and yet they managed to launch a forbidden EW Drone. It got shot down, and a glitched Dumpshock test later, the PC was not feeling very well.


This is the truth. I have to keep reminding myself some of the PC's have particularily bad qualities, like Bad Luck (Ironically, the same character with the EW drone mentioned above)

One game, I had the group's hacker deal with Dumpshock three times in one day.

His comment: "I hurt my name."

Well, the mission is ongoing. Unfortunitely, his drone didn't find out anything the others didn't already know.

"The Air Force doesn't like illegal drones launching near their facilities." "Yeah, I got that... Right after I puked on my shoes."

He was hotsimmed. So it involved some ear bleeding. Some eyes, apparently too, but that was his descriptive choice, not mine.

He was hotsimmed. So it involved some ear bleeding. Some eyes, apparently too, but that was his descriptive choise, not mine.

"Hot Simming leads to Beatles, just like Marijuana leads to Heroin."